


you wear sandals in the snow, in mid-july I still feel cold

by midnightmew



Category: Friends at the Table (Podcast)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon Non-Binary Character, Canon Universe, Childhood Friends, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hugs, Literal Sleeping Together, Other, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Young Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-11-23 20:03:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20895338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnightmew/pseuds/midnightmew
Summary: Their den was always full of bundled up blankets that Benjamin would wrap himself in, despite the fact that he was already wearing a massively thick jumper- something Blue J had clumsily knitted for him, their refusal of Rosana’s help resulting in it turning out rather lopsided.Even on the warmest of summer days- which for the last university were never really that warm- Benjamin’s hands had a chill to them when they took them in their own.That was why it came as no surprise to Blue J when it became a habit of Benjamin’s to lean into their side when he was cold, reaching up to grasp their warmer hands, letting the warmth spread through his own.





	you wear sandals in the snow, in mid-july I still feel cold

**Author's Note:**

> Massive thanks to Nathaniel for helping me edit this, I managed to miss an embarrassing amount of words... 
> 
> I'm only like 20 epsiodes into spring but literally the moment Blue J was introduced I decided I would die for them

Blue J did not have a lot in common with their father, but one of the things they did inherit was that they always seemed to run hot. The ground outside could be covered with snow, and so long as they remembered their cloak, they wouldn’t feel so much as a chill. This became of particular use as they learned that Benjamin was the exact opposite. 

Their den was always full of bundled up blankets that Benjamin would wrap himself in, despite the fact that he was already wearing a massively thick jumper- something Blue J had clumsily knitted for him, their refusal of Rosana’s help resulting in it turning out rather lopsided. 

Even on the warmest of summer days- which for the last university were never really that warm- Benjamin’s hands had a chill to them when they took them in their own.

That was why it came as no surprise to Blue J when it became a habit of Benjamin’s to lean into their side when he was cold, reaching up to grasp their warmer hands, letting the warmth spread through his own.

They were in the den the first time it happened, Benjamin shivering a little as the frost had come back for the year on that morning- a day that was to be the first of a long winter. He was trying to show Blue J a new spell he had learned the day before, one that would create a ball of light floating in the air, but his fingers were trembling too much from the cold to shape them into the motions required. He sighed as he fumbled a gesture yet again and flopped back onto the pillows- they had brought them in after Benjamin had fallen asleep in there a few months ago. He had woken up with a stiff and aching back, so the pair of them had decided that pillows were a good addition to make to the space. 

He let out a huff from where he lay on the ground, ‘It’s my fingers, they’re frozen stiff with all this chill in the air. It’s gonna be ages until they’re warm enough to do magic properly.’

‘Can I?’ Blue J asked, reaching out one of their hands towards his to indicate what they were asking. 

‘Sure, I swear you’ve got a literal fire inside of you or something, how are you never cold? That’s just not fair on me.’

Blue J let out a soft chuckle, clasping Benjamins icy fingers- small and delicate, they truly were magician’s hands- in their own which were warm, and somehow managed to be simultaneously soft and calloused from their bow. Blue J lay down beside him and instantly Benjamin leaned into their side, resting his head on Blue J’s shoulder. His hair tickled Blue J’s face a little, but they found they didn’t really mind. With Benjamin this close to them, they often felt like the rest of the world vanished around them until it was just the two of them in that moment remaining. 

They hadn’t intended to fall asleep like that, but the weight on them was comforting and they hadn’t slept great the night before, leaving them exhausted. They dozed, in that kind of half asleep state constantly drifting in and out of consciousness, and when they faintly registered Benjamin moving off them they held onto his hand even tighter. 

Later Blue J wouldn’t know if they had just imagined it, but they could have sworn Benjamin had whispered to them then, as he had given their hand a little squeeze in response, ‘Go back to sleep, it’s fine, I’m not going anywhere.’ He then proceeded to run his fingers through Blue J’s hair, as they drifted back out of consciousness. 

The next time it happened, they were in class. The two of them had spent the night sneaking around the last university together and neither had slept much due to their adventures. Rosana was trying to teach them about some story of Samothes, but Benjamin was far too tired to be listening to his mother's words, and instead had leant into Blue J’s side, his cheek resting against their shoulder. 

‘I’m cold Blue,’ he muttered to them, his words slurring a little with tiredness, something they could sympathise with- they wanted nothing more than to snuggle down in some blankets and drift off right then. They didn’t have any blankets in the classroom, but they did have their woolen cloak, which they shrugged off their shoulders to drape over Benjamin a little so that it was covering the both of them. They wrapped an arm around him, and it took them by surprise- like it always seemed to- just how small Benjamin was compared to them. Not only was he shorter, but he was also built like a twig in stark contrast to Blue J’s rounder curves. No wonder he was always cold, there was nothing to him. Still, it didn’t particularly matter, because Blue J was always warm enough for the both of them. It worked out perfectly, even if Rosana did give Blue J a knowing smile and thank them for ‘taking care of her son’ after the lesson, in a tone that suggested to Blue J there was more at play than they had maybe initially realised. 

After that it became a habit whenever Benjamin was cold- which was often- to lean into Blue J, and if Blue J had a cloak or a scarf on, for them to drape it around the pair of them while they held hands. Their body heat would slowly thawing Benjamin’s cold fingers until he was warm enough to start writing or doing magic again. The odd glances in their direction from both their fellow children at the university as well as their parents were becoming increasingly rare, as the pair of them cuddled up like that was becoming a common site whenever the two of them together.

And if one night, Blue J snuck out to the den after a message from Benjamin to see him shivering on the floor wrapped in blankets that were not enough to keep out the bone deep chill of the winter's night, no one would mention the way Blue J curled around him, surrounding him in their own warmth. Or the way they woke up in the morning, too warm for the blankets strewn all around them, their legs tangled together and Benjamin clasping one of Blue J’s hands in his own. Maybe they were late to classes that morning, and maybe Rosana gave Benjamin a look that clearly told him ‘we need to talk about this’, but beyond a slightly awkward conversation- that Benjamin later recounted to Blue J, who laughed as Benjamin became increasingly flustered- nothing else was said. It was just another thing about the people at the last university: Ephrim was the tired but powerful leader, Throndir kept everything running as it should, Rosana spoke to the people of Samothes, and if you were to look for Benjamin or Blue J, you would likely find them with the other, hands clasped loosely and one leaned into the side of the other, maybe drifting off if the hour was getting late.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos always much appreciated  
#


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